Ron Johnson
Encyclopedia
Ron Wayne Johnson is a former politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1995 to 1999, representing the division of Brantford
as a Progressive Conservative
.
, and was educated at the Brantford Collegiate Institute, Lambton College, McMaster University, and the Transport Canada
Training Institution. Prior to his election, he was the editor of a weekly community newspaper called Brant News. During the 1993 federal election
, he and other community newspaper representatives took part in a roundtable discussion with Prime Minister
Kim Campbell
.
, defeating former Liberal
Member of Provincial Parliament
(MPP) Dave Neumann
. New Democratic Party incumbent Brad Ward
finished third. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
in this election under the leadership Mike Harris
, and Johnson entered the legislature as a government backbencher. He lobbied in support of completing Highway 403 during his first year in office.
Johnson considered voting against the Harris government's Bill 152 in 1997. This bill transferred the cost of social services from the province to municipalities, and Johnson expressed concern that it could result in higher property taxes for Brantford residents. He later announced that he would likely support the bill due to its amendment, after a meeting with senior cabinet ministers.
Johnson did not play a major role in the legislature and was often criticized for his absences. A 1998 newspaper report described him as "among the worst attendees in the legislature," and other Progressive Conservative MPPs openly teased him for his record. He was dropped from all legislative committees in 1997, and his office was relocated to a basement corner. There was little surprise when he chose not to run in the 1999 provincial election
.
The Brantford Expositor
ran a scathing editorial about Johnson in June 1999, stating there was "no way [he] could win re-election because he simply had not done the job." The paper's editor accused Johnson of ignoring the concerns of his constituents and spending more time on golf course
s than in the legislature, adding that it was "galling" to learn he would collect $39,000 in severance pay. Johnson has not sought political office since this time.
and the more right-wing Reform Party of Canada
in the mid-1990s. He attended a 1996 meeting in Calgary that called for a formal alliance of the parties, and indicated that he contributed money to both parties in the 1997 federal election
. He was the co-chair of a planned conference for Ontario's Young Progressive Conservatives (YPCs) in 1993, and in this capacity invited Reform Party leader Preston Manning
to speak to the delegates. This idea was rejected by the YPC leadership, which postponed the conference and removed Johnson from his position.
.
He supported Chris Stockwell
's bid to lead the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the party's 2002 leadership contest, which was called after Mike Harris's retirement. He later backed Frank Klees
's bid to lead the party in 2004, and supported Tim Hudak
in 2009
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1995 to 1999, representing the division of Brantford
Brantford (electoral district)
Brantford was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1925 and from 1949 to 1968, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1986 to 1999....
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
.
Early life and career
Johnson was born in BrantfordBrantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
, and was educated at the Brantford Collegiate Institute, Lambton College, McMaster University, and the Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
Training Institution. Prior to his election, he was the editor of a weekly community newspaper called Brant News. During the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, he and other community newspaper representatives took part in a roundtable discussion with Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
.
Member of Provincial Parliament
Johnson was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial electionOntario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, defeating former Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Member of Provincial Parliament
Member of Provincial Parliament
A Member of Provincial Parliament is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The titular designation "Member of Provincial Parliament" and the initialism "MPP" were formally adopted by the Legislature on April 7, 1938...
(MPP) Dave Neumann
Dave Neumann
David Emil Neumann is a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was the mayor of Brantford from 1980 to 1987 and served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990...
. New Democratic Party incumbent Brad Ward
Brad Ward
Bradley Richard Ward is a former politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 as a New Democrat and was a minister in Bob Rae's government from 1993 to 1995....
finished third. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in this election under the leadership Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, and Johnson entered the legislature as a government backbencher. He lobbied in support of completing Highway 403 during his first year in office.
Johnson considered voting against the Harris government's Bill 152 in 1997. This bill transferred the cost of social services from the province to municipalities, and Johnson expressed concern that it could result in higher property taxes for Brantford residents. He later announced that he would likely support the bill due to its amendment, after a meeting with senior cabinet ministers.
Johnson did not play a major role in the legislature and was often criticized for his absences. A 1998 newspaper report described him as "among the worst attendees in the legislature," and other Progressive Conservative MPPs openly teased him for his record. He was dropped from all legislative committees in 1997, and his office was relocated to a basement corner. There was little surprise when he chose not to run in the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
The Brantford Expositor
Brantford Expositor
The Brantford Expositor is an English language newspaper based in Brantford, Ontario and owned by Osprey Media Group Inc. a subsidiary of Sun Media...
ran a scathing editorial about Johnson in June 1999, stating there was "no way [he] could win re-election because he simply had not done the job." The paper's editor accused Johnson of ignoring the concerns of his constituents and spending more time on golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s than in the legislature, adding that it was "galling" to learn he would collect $39,000 in severance pay. Johnson has not sought political office since this time.
Federal politics
Johnson supported an alliance between the centre-right Progressive Conservative Party of CanadaProgressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
and the more right-wing Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
in the mid-1990s. He attended a 1996 meeting in Calgary that called for a formal alliance of the parties, and indicated that he contributed money to both parties in the 1997 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
. He was the co-chair of a planned conference for Ontario's Young Progressive Conservatives (YPCs) in 1993, and in this capacity invited Reform Party leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
to speak to the delegates. This idea was rejected by the YPC leadership, which postponed the conference and removed Johnson from his position.
After politics
After standing down from the legislature, Johnson was hired as director corporate development for a pharmaceutical company in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
He supported Chris Stockwell
Chris Stockwell
Chris Stockwell is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Before entering provincial politics, he had been a...
's bid to lead the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the party's 2002 leadership contest, which was called after Mike Harris's retirement. He later backed Frank Klees
Frank Klees
Frank Klees is a Canadian politician and the Progressive Conservative member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Newmarket—Aurora north of Toronto. He was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election placing second behind victor Tim Hudak.-Early life:Klees was born...
's bid to lead the party in 2004, and supported Tim Hudak
Tim Hudak
Timothy Patrick "Tim" Hudak is a politician in Ontario, Canada, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario . He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook.-Background:Tim Hudak was born in Fort Erie, Ontario...
in 2009
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election, 2009
On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in...
.